House Majority Leader Amy Stephens and the antique she had hauled out of a womens restroom. Lynn Bartels/The Denver Post

When Republican Amy Stephens set out to decorate the majority leader’s office, she headed straight to a third-floor women’s restroom at the Capitol.

Inexplicably, the restroom offers one of the best western views from the Capitol and, until Republicans regained the majority in the House, a beautiful antique.

The antique had places to hang hats or coats and a bench with a lid that lifted. Probably in the olden days, scarves and mittens were kept in that bench.

Stephens, a Monument Republican, had it hauled down to her second-floor office. (She also painted the office walls to give them a warmer look and is going to have her hubby and son haul up a couch from their house that they rarely use.)

I did a double take when I saw the antique in Stephens’ office. I had no idea where it had gone.

“Any chance you found a cosmetics purse with a toothbrush, toothpaste and an ungodly amount of floss in the storage area?” I asked.

Dick Wadhams announced today that he is seeking a third term as chairman of the Colorado Republican Party.

Dick Wadhams - Photo by RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post

Here’s his letter to Republicans:

Two years ago, I promised a competitive, fair and open nomination process where any Republican candidate could compete for our nomination and where all Republican voters — especially those who had never been involved before — could participate. And that’s what we did.

Two years ago, I promised to expand our candidate and campaign manager training. And that’s what we did.

Two years ago, I promised to continue to aggressively challenge Democratic elected officials and candidates and their liberal agendas. And that’s what we did.

Former State Sen. Polly Baca announced this morning that she is running to serve as the next State Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.

Former state Sen. Polly Baca speaks on the opening day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. (Denver Post file photo)

“The party needs a leader, now more than ever, who understands Colorado and is able to use vast political, community and non-profit experience to not only energize current Democrats, but ensure that we are building this party by expanding our resources and attracting new voters”, Baca said in a release.

Baca was the first Hispanic woman elected the state Senate where she served two terms.

Her release noted that she has filled a number of roles within the Democratic Party, from precinct committee woman to Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Baca has worked on a number of local and national campaigns over the years, including those of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Governing magazine has an interesting piece about the agendas of newly-elected secretaries of state, including Colorado’s Scott Gessler, that asserts they have more activist agendas than those of their predecessors.

The authors cite Gessler’s statements that he plans to seek tougher voter identification laws, including a move toward mandating proof of citizenship as a prerequisite for voting.

Gessler, a Republican, worked as an elections lawyer who represented Republican causes.

In a recent editorial, the Post supported Gessler’s proposal for increased voter registration requirements so long as they aren’t burdensome. The editorial also acknowledged the check-and-balance role the legislature would play in any effort that Gessler might undertake in increasing documentation requirements for voter registration.

The editorial, published Nov. 22, said:

“Gessler would have to gain legislative approval for both reforms.
Now that Republicans control the state House, it is possible he can
at least start the debate. But Democrats control the Senate and
governor’s office, so the debate might be brief.”

Editor’s note: As Gov. Bill Ritter prepares to leave office on Jan. 11, pols and pals weigh in with stories about the Denver Democrat.
Former state Sen. Steve Ward, R-Littleton, a colonel with the Marine Reserves:

Gov. Bill Ritter during his trip to Iraq, with, from l. to r., Ken Chavez, a Denver police officer with the Colorado National Guard; then- Sen. Steve Ward and Rep. Joe Rice, both military reservists. (Photo courtesy of Joe Rice)

In December 2007, while I was a legislator, I was stationed in Fallujah, Iraq, with the Marine Command in Anbar Province. Word came through that the gov was inbound to Bagdad.

The Durango Herald had an interesting editorial over the weekend about how incoming state House Speaker Frank McNulty is taking on the mantle of leadership and shedding the role of bomb-thrower.

That’s what should happen when you go from minority to majority status, but the Herald argues that it doesn’t happen often enough. And the piece points out that lawmakers in Washington could learn from McNulty, a Highlands Ranch Republican.

“We’re in the majority now. We have an obligation to govern. Coloradans expect us to do that. Our goal should be to find that common ground. Lobbing grenades from one side of the aisle to the other isn’t the best way to start.”

Good for him. Two questions, though. How many of his fellow legislators might endorse that as a statement of principle? And could he send copies to some folks in Washington?

The incoming speaker of the U.S. House, Republican John Boehner, could benefit from that advice, as could Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. And it could not hurt if President Obama and Nancy Pelosi also read McNulty’s comments.

The editorial riffs off a Denver Post story earlier this month by Tim Hoover that speaks to Republicans’ evolving position on repealing the FASTER fees, which increased vehicle registration costs to pay for road and bridge repairs.

The story talks about how Republicans, now that they’ve won a majority in the state House, do not see the feasibility of pursuing a FASTER appeal since Democrats still hold the Senate and the governor’s mansion.

It’s the right foot to start out on, but the proof will play out in the upcoming session of the state legislature.

My prediction: Expect a barrage of negative political ads targeting Tancredo. And make no mistake, there’s a rich trove of material to be mined for such a campaign against the American Constitution Party candidate.

The motive may not have much to do with Hickenlooper and the platform espoused by the Democratic candidate for governor, but with congressional reapportionment. To be blunt, the Dems want someone in that office with a “D” after their name.

You can bet Democrats at the national level, who probably considered the race a done deal, are paying a little closer attention to the Colorado governor’s race.

The same goes for Republicans, who are flocking to Tancredo and would certainly rather have the former congressman wielding a veto pen when a redrawn congressional map lands on the guv’s desk — especially if Democrats manage to retain control of both houses of the legislature.Read more…

Sen. Michael Bennet could take some good news from a new Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee poll, while Ken Buck might prefer to watch himself pull away in the new Rasmussen survey.

Democrat Bennet led Republican Buck in the DSCC survey of 800 likely voters, 48 percent to 46 percent. Obviously within any margin of error, so consider it another tie. The DSCC-sponsored numbers also claimed to show Bennet doing much better than Buck on questions asking voters to rank their warm-fuzzy feelings about the candidates. Buck scored higher in the “cool” category, according to the committee.

The Rasmussen poll, which Democrats frequently dispute because of alleged sampling bias, shows Buck over 50 percent support for the first time and a growing lead. Their numbers put Buck at 51 percent and Bennet at 43 percent. For some history on Rasmussen and criticism of its methods, try the Wikipedia entry here. It may go without saying, but before you hit the comments button, realize that we do understand anything from the Democratic Senatorial committee may come with its own set of biases.

An interesting Politico story, meanwhile, quotes pollsters from all ranges of the spectrum questioning the value of poll information this election cycle. Some claim it’s very hard to predict who is a “likely” voter this time around, while others are saying that many polls are under-counting youth or Latino votes, and failing to include third-party candidates that could shave off a few percentage points from the leaders in a year of disgruntled party loyalists.

The Grand Junction Sentinel published a story today saying the hefty campaign finance fine that Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes agreed to pay isn’t his only fine.

Along with the $17,500 in fines that Maes agreed last month to pay, there are others, according to the Sentinel.

The Maes campaign faces another $1,100 in fines for two separate violations last month: a $300 fine for filing a large-donor report six days late; and an $800 fine for filing a similar report that was 16 days late. The state assesses $50 fines for each day a filing is late.

The campaign has asked the secretary of state to waive those fines, something the Maes camp has done in the past with limited results.

In April, the campaign was fined $250 for a similar late filing. The office waived $125 of that fine, which the campaign paid on April 23. In May 2009, the campaign was fined $50 for a late filing, which the state waived.

These fines aren’t as large as the $17,500 fine, of course, but they do show a pattern of failing to comply with rules and regulations.

Nate Strauch, spokesman for the Maes campaign, e-mailed this response on the issue of fines:

“What these fines showcase is the byzantine maze that is political finance regulation. Dan Maes has run a grassroots campaign with a skeleton-crew staff from the beginning, and this just goes to show how difficult it is for an everyman to jump through the hoops.”

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.